Past Events

Past meetings

David Dettmar talk about the Veterans Motorcycle Club

TDHS welcomed Toowong resident David Dettmar as our April guest speaker.
David Dettmar first developed his interest in motorcycles as a very young boy when he went pillion on a neighbour‘s mid-1930s Norton Sidecar Outfit to visit the local gasworks to top up the gas bag on the sidecar chassis during this period of petrol rationing in the UK.
David is still keen on old bikes, especially the pre-1918 Veteran models and the Australian built ones. David has been a member of the Historical Motorcycle Club of Queensland for nearly 50 years and was made a life member in 1992.
David still rides regularly, and his Tuesday rides to Mount Glorious with a group of like- minded friends are a firmly established tradition.

Lee Bull presents the stories behind the Lang Farm Estate – March 2022

Lee will present the interesting tales discovered during the research for her book, Lang Farm Estate Toowong: An 1877 Subdivision and the people who made it home.

The history of ‘Dovercourt’, Sherwood Road, Toowong

TDHS welcomes guest speaker Harold Peacock, the historian retained by the new owners of ‘Dovercourt’, the heritage house in Sherwood Rd previously owned by the Bigge family and in which 4 generations of the family have lived since the 1920s.

The history of Brisbane’s Albert Hall presented by Prof. Peter Roennfeldt

Noted cultural historian and author, Professor Peter Roennfeldt will speak about his latest book, It all happened at Brisbane’s Albert Hall; A story of this city’s central venue 1901-1969.

Albert Hall was a 700 seat venue operating until 1969 when it was demolished to make way for the Suncorp (SGIO) building. Albert Hall hosted a wide range of political, social an wartime events and performers including Percy Grainger, Dame Sybil Thorndike, Sir Douglas Mawson, Lord Louis Mountbatten and Dame Enid Lyons.

RD Milne Antiquities Museum – May 2021

Guest speaker James Donaldson, archivist at the museum, speaks about the history and role of the museum as well its projects including current research into antiquities brought back to Australia by returning WW1 soldiers including Toowong residents Frank Chenery and William Blake.

Ormiston House – April 2021

Our guest speaker is Dr. Jessica Stroja, resident historian at Ormiston House.

The History of Coorparoo – February 2021

Our guest speaker is retired heritage architect and President of the Coorparoo and Districts Heritage Group, Ron Baker, OAM

Members meeting – January 2021

Members are asked to bring along an item or reminiscence to share with the group. The history of Coorparoo. Our guest speaker is retired heritage architect and President of the Coorparoo and Districts Heritage Group, Ron Baker, OAM

The Dogs of War – November 2020

‘Dogs of War’:We are the War Dog Team and this is our story presented by George Hulse

LtCol George Hulse RAE (Retd) commanded the Army Engineer dog wing in the early 1970s. He is the Vice-President of the Australian Defence Force Trackers and War Dogs Association and President of the Toowong RSL sub/branch.

Other past events

Lang Farm Estate: Heritage Walk 6 Aug 2017

Join members of the TDHS on a walk around what became known in the mid to late 1870s as Lang Farm Estate.

Background information:
Lang Farm Estate is located to the south and east of Toowong’s High Street on land originally part of the extensive and co-joining holdings of Robert Cribb in Toowong and Taringa.
The tour will be led by Cribb descendent Lee Bull, and will include part of Archer, Aston,Holmes, Josling, Herbert, Glenny, Macdonnell, Eskmount, Brisbane, Benson, Mayne and Streets, and Burns, Glen and Gailey Roads, and Kaye’s Rocks.